...the Web's Best Employment Resources

Arbitrators and Mediators

Public interest and awareness of the fields of arbitration and litigation has spiked with the advent of such popular TV shows as "People's Court", "Judge Judy", "JAG" and the progenitor of them all, "Perry Mason". Since court litigation can be very expensive and public court calendars may be booked years out, many people and businesses are choosing to resolve their disputes through independent or third-party arbitrators or mediators. These legal professionals also provide advice to management and labor bodies on how to prevent disputes in the workplace before they start.

Schools and Degrees

Since many civil disputes involve contracts, claims or challenges in the workplace, knowledge of workplace law and labor-management relations, and relevant labor laws is imperative. These legal professionals generally possess law degrees but they may also have degrees in business administration, human resources, labor relations or in specialty fields such as intellectual property law.

Job Requirements

Professionals in this field absolutely must be effective written and oral communicators. Not only should they be able convey their ideas to their clients, they must be able to identify the gist of an issue from oral arguments presented to them. To properly adjudicate a claim, these professionals should be able to identify the relative benefits versus costs of the several courses of actions that they suggest. One of the most important tasks of these professionals is to bring together people with disagreements and convince them to reconcile their differences via bargaining. Hence they have to be both knowledgable and persuasive.

Nature of Work

People who work in this field must first understand the disputed issue from the point of view of both of the parties. Then they have to try to explain the respective positions to both parties so that the parties can be guided towards a mutual agreement. While preparing the settlement agreements, they must take into account the various laws, policies, regulations, and precedents that are relevant.

More often than not, arbitrators or mediators work in clean and comfortable offices. The parties that have to resolve disputes usually come to their offices for discussions. However, in some situations, they may have to travel to locations agreed upon by the parties. Under normal circumstances, they do not work beyond usual working hours. They may, however, have to work lengthy hours when mediating a negotiation where a deadline is in place.

Job Numbers and Growth

There were about 8,000 arbitrators and mediators across the US in 2008. Unemployment for workers was considered very low in the recent past, relative to other occupations. The percentage of employees unemployed in 2008 was 1%.

Area Job Conditions

The cities with the most workers per capita are Albany (New York), Fresno (California), and Lansing (Michigan), while the worst cities are Atlanta (Georgia), Seattle (Washington), and Nassau (New York).

The highest salaries for employees are in and around Wichita (Kansas), Oakland (California), and San Francisco (California). The lowest-paying areas are Orlando (Florida), Fresno (California), and Dallas (Texas).

Training and Education

Education or job training for workers typically involves a bachelor's or higher degree, plus work experience. At least 99% of employees had a degree of four or more years. About 1% of arbitrators and mediators had some college below a bachelor's degree. Recommended schools are shown in the column to the right; request information from them to help you decide which if any could help you with this career.

Part-Time Work and Self-Employment

An estimated 6% of arbitrators and mediators work part-time.

Arbitrators And Mediators by Metropolitan Area (city and its surroundings)

In the table below, a Job Density near 0% means the area has an average number of people in this occupation, for its population. A higher or lower Job Density (e.g., +22% or -45%) tells you there are that many more or fewer workers of that type there than in the average US metro area. So, the higher the number, the more common the occupation.

Alabama

Arizona

Arkansas

California

Connecticut

District of Columbia

Florida

Georgia

Idaho

Illinois

Indiana

Kansas

Massachusetts

Michigan

Minnesota

Missouri

New York

Ohio

Oregon

Pennsylvania

Tennessee

Texas

Washington

Wisconsin